| This is a qualitative study that explores the nature of teacher learning in inquiry-based classrooms. The study investigates three teachers' experiences of enacting inquiry learning at an independent school for girls committed to this approach. I employ a narrative inquiry methodology and work collaboratively with these inquiry-based teachers to uncover their understanding of inquiry learning and investigate the ways in which they have adopted roles of co-learners with their students. I also consider the role of the institution in their adoption of inquiry learning.;I find that to reconstruct one's role as an inquiry teacher requires more than a theoretical understanding of the approach but entails an iterative process of experimentation, reflection and reconstruction that is unique to and deeply personal for each teacher. I also discover that for the three teachers in my study the role of co-learner is integral to their identities and how they live their lives. I also find that the setting in which the implementation takes place has much to contribute to the process through providing a safe and supportive environment for making mistakes and taking risks.;This dissertation also documents my own journey as teacher, teacher leader, and narrative researcher. By relating my own stories of how I came to teach and support other teachers, and how I came to understand narrative inquiry through study and practice, I offer a rationale and a framework for this study. |
